rapturerebornmmorpgfandomcom-20200216-history
Part 63
Sitemap --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- More interesting items/ideas for a BioShock Rapture MMORPG --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- Part 63 --- --- --- --- The Buried at Sea DLC is not Canon to the authentic Rapture used in the MMORPG : The fantasy aspects introduced from Columbia do not fit with the Sci-Fi theme of Rapture and their lazy contradictions to the original plot are not worth any effort to resolve or justify. Some materials and ideas could be recycled for Assets. The events wont be reflected in the games reality. Elements may be applied to amusing dreams/delusions/vague references/rantings of insane Splicers. --- --- Suchongs "Death" Contradictions : Its possible that Suchongs apparent death from Big Daddy drill (if that WAS him) was much later with him trying to improve an at-that-time sort-of working bonding (explaining Eleanor and Delta out 'gathering' New Years Eve 1958 - the BS2 snippet doesn't give long showing of how well their 'pairing was working and there is also the possibility that the conditioning at that point was hit-or-miss/inconsistent and in need of alot of improvement) It is possible to weasel some of the Audio Diary positioning as them not necessarily having to be found AT the location/incident site their recording sounds like (Sullivan's at the drilled corpse..). In general they are pretty vague and there might be enough vagueness to beat a full contradiction. Consider that 'faked deaths' were not unknown in the plot.... --- Other employment for Little Sisters protected by Big Daddies : Might be possible Little Sisters could have been used (or was attempted) to take ADAM out of living Splicers ?? Insane ones in Persephone being warehoused there. CURE RESEARCH ? OR JUST TO MAKE THEM LESS DANGEROUS?? But they needed something to protect them while they were vampiring live Splicers... That's going pretty far out on a limb, but we DO have at least one example at the end of BS1 where the LS did that to Atlas/Fontaine while HE was still alive...... Littles Sisters only drained 'dead' Angels? It would not have had to be the final/only 'conditioning'/mode of operation tried out with them (alternately trained LS then could accept draining Living Splicers...). Later they would then have been modified for the growing number of corpses from the Civil War (sometime (years?) later). It is mainly to prop up logically the in-game indicators that LSs being (sort-of) bonded to Big Daddy 'Protectors' were around before the Civil War (when there WERE enough corpses to have a reason to justify having LS out gathering in the streets and then needing Big Daddies). If contrived explanations are needed, Eleanor/Delta MIGHT HAVE BEEN on their way home from such a 'Live' session at Persephone, or even Fontaine Futuristics (there recovering ADAM from some failed experimental subject too messed up to even let IT be seen sent to Persephone). That justifies (?) them being seen (sort-of) 'bonded' that early. The other conflict with Alexander saying he achieved success after Suchong was dead... it could simply be about a BETTER 'bonding' conditioning for 'street' Gathering...) --- --- --- Strange things Splicers might use for 'money' : Besides ADAM/EVE which likely gets used up too fast (Though EVE might be alot easier to generate) A variety of Splicer (and Survivor) 'societies' would exist out there in Rapture, some using their own 'type' of currency. Ryan Dollar money is so prevalent as to be worthless (at least after all the old machines have been emptied). The coinage form had its own value as a useful material (metal) source. * Bottle caps ? Certain rare brands like "Fontaine Figgy Fizz" * Sander Cohen Pogs/Trading Cards ? His comic books for large transactions. * Sticks of Chewing Gum (handled til they are not really consumable any longer) * The Skulls of Dogs * The 'Un-Volunteer' token used in the Crazy Lamb Realm. * Simple barter with Hard Tack - a peculiar dog biscuit like semi-edible consumable that can also double as body armor. * Big Daddy Bubble Lenses * Real Cigarettes (didn't last long as soon as one of the remaining Smuggler groups flooded the money supply. * Relics of Andrew Ryan (all fake since he isn't actually dead). * Accu-Vox Audio Diaries - with original recording preserved and varying significantly in value * Sewing Needles --- --- Day-Night Cycle - Time Passage in the MMORPG Game : Is there a night cycle in the city ? (dimming the lights to simulate a normal daily cycle for the inhabitants) ?? Helps with some natural biological cycles. Daily schedules (expectations of 'nighttime' lulls in the City, open businesses - normal operating hours). How long would this cycle be?? Do you do a 2 hour (120 min) 'day' some games use ? Sunlight doesn't much penetrate to the depths Rapture is at (a few top floors of really tall building might be able to see a little difference - when you are looking out the windows, but they are still over a hundred feet below surface). The glowing Abyss mass doesn't change much. So little or no external differences. The city's (remaining) external lights probably shouldn't change (on 24 hours a day). And since so many haven't burned out or gone they must've been made pretty good. Out in the ruins/wasteland, in most of it, nobody shifts the cycles. What lights remain stay on. Some Factions may have their own system. --- --- --- Expanded Underwater Effects : The general mechanism would have to handle the flooding actions/effects -- including the explosive immersion that happens when a huge leak/opening lets in water at 280 Psi (lb/sq inch). A 1 inch hole has enough pressure for a stream of water to easily knock a man over. A wall of water would flood an area virtually instantaneously, fatally blasting everything it passes thru (propelling them against any opposing surfaces). The water environment effects actions, and transition cases complicate simulations further. Electricity is directly conducted, fire is only immediately projected, projectiles slow down quickly, explosive force is directly transmitted, movements are sluggish. Weapons like the Spearguns, originally designed for use in water become most effective. Water currents outside depend on your location. Most of the city is in a protected zone in the shadow of the Seamount/Volcanos walls (still with some turbulence eddies). Beyond that and on the outside slopes of the volcano there is the ocean currents which shift seasonally. Closer to the surface they would be water effects cause by weather (The North Atlantic is known for its dangerous storms). Pressure differential effects depending on the depth. A number of 'farms' and industrial site were located in the shallower sections in and near the city because less complex diving suits could be used for those working out in the sea (alot of prefabrication for the City took place there). Deeper and the diving hardsuits are required (the Big Daddies/Maintenance Cyborgs have pressure-change resistance Tonics). Light is absorbed relatively quickly by water - through 600 feet even intense sunlight is completely gone. Many of the Solo game window/outside views are wrong, unrealistically showing light going much further. That effect is easily done with GPU graphics. The MMORPG would have various water vehicles - boats as well as submarines (and automated equipment). --- --- --- Selling Poison in Rapture A company that withholds information (as did Tenenbaum/Fontaine regarding the addiction and degenerative effcts) and willfully poisons or kills it's customers would be considered liable and sue-able in an Objectivist society. It is perfectly acceptable to sell toxic products, however its not acceptable to falsely market them as 'safe', as did ads playing down the problem as the "Plasmid Blues", etc... Free market Capitalists and Ayn Rand make a philosophical point of Deceit being a form of Coercion, and want the governments control of legal proceedings to remove all forms of coercion. Ryan probably could have shut down Fontaine's selling of his ADAM products after public outrage was heard, but conveniently for the game these effects for some reason took a long time to manifest themselves - years in fact when just a few cases of tumors and insanity etc.. would have had news stories blanketing the free press. Poisoning yourself is one thing (as a frightening element), but Insanity causing the user to harm others or destroy others property is not a 'freedom'. The game's narrow minded drive for a plot 'twist' eliminated any real voice/common sense of Rapture's Citizens, who actually would be the real power in Rapture. --- --- Research is fundamental in Rapture - producing modern marvels that improve 'quality of living' : Behind every Edison is a staff of 57 competent technicians and assistants (Edison may have had the ideas, but it still took ALOT of work to produce a workable and practical solution). Brain Boost (and its own advancements) compounded the ability to do productive research/development. Likely a higher literacy rate and general intelligence couldn't hurt. Actually having more incentives/efficiency NOT being blocked by the actions of 'Parasites'. Rapture could also short circuit alot of 'research' by tapping into Surface developments (wonder if Ryan had them pay royalties in repayment for those others 'seat of the brow'). It would be likely that a flow of 'authorized' items continued long after the general 1952 'closing off to the outside' such as technical information, critical materials and tools and possibly some additional expertise to fill in unforeseen gaps to make Rapture 'self-sufficient. It is possible that some 'research' flowed the other way, to help pay off continuing expenses as the city was still being built. Materials and Goods for the 'Hundred Years Stockpile' (needed things Rapture could never produce) would cost for the items themselves, as well as the transportation and the overhead for the significant security measures required. There may have been more than a little expense incurred just for an ongoing effort by Ryan's Surface organization to keep Rapture hidden --- --- Why there would be no 'Magic Resurrection Quantum Bullshit" in the MMORPG : "Sinclair Solutions successfully manufactured this potentially world-changing device for Ryan Industries, who proceeded to take it public" Is this true? I don't recall seeing a label or any mention of 'Sinclair Solutions' making them. Research and development is one thing, manufacturing and servicing is another. That's a bit of a larger task than Sinclair Solutions might have been capable of (and Alexander/Suchong worked for Ryan/Ryan Industries.) "Introducing the future of health and wellness, The Vita-Chamber" - Ad from Ryan Industries The Little Undertakers (what happened to the 'Little Brothers') drag your corpse back to a Vita-Chamber (no need for physics-impeded Teleporting or this 'Quantum Entanglements' stuff). Its all part of the service - and Jack with Ryan's genes is signed-up already. The Vita-Chambers, less this advanced 'deluxe' resurrection features, were a way for Ryan Industries to compete with ADAM, accelerated to break the ADAM addictions (and forestall more), and potentially sometime soon implement a cure. --- --- --- Mini-Games for the MMORPG There are many of BioShock's fans out there who have the skills to create 'Apps' that could do mini-games for the MMORPG. I would want it to be easier for them and others less skilled to also create them. Many of the mini-games have a similar form (like a pipelaying game or a platformer style or tetris-like or tile slider or even a 'Farmville') that premade game skeletons could be created for (all that reusable template stuff my modular system 'wall-of-text' talks about). So the Players would have to provide mostly the data for them (pixel art, various option selections, some scripting) to have them work. And once the game existed, it could be incrementally improved by other Players who have more skill finishing and tuning games. Once vetted and accepted, the games then would be playable by thousands of the MMORPG Players. Not all of them will be gems, but linked to the main game for rewards/payoff and useable in short odd times of day, they add a broader element to the MMORPG. I was checking what (game engines/computer languages) could be used to create mini-games on the widest number of devices, and because the low-end hand-helds (ie- smartphones) are largely proprietary/underpowered/klunky of interface, they would mostly only be useful for the basic text/menu Apps built by the game company to access in-game mail, bulletin boards, auction house, the NPC 'Team' task system, inventory juggling. Other content might be made available via web browser based methods (like Rapture TV/Radio/Films, research materials, and the Newspapers). The highest end mini-games might require some of the 3D capable tablet type game engines (many which have development tools that cost money) which again could be created via a 'data-only' approach to eliminate the complicated system programming for most Players Game-makers. Of course anyone who wants to make a full 'App' game themselves that ties in to the MMORPG could probably be accommodated (with all the appropriate vetting of course) and communication methods for Score recording, scenario DownLoad, and game completion data (in-game payoff) would be provided to tie in to the MMORPG servers. And remember that 'creation' includes adding new parts/scenarios/levels/expansions of existing games - collaborating as a group will result in more/better animations, new skins, additional scenarios, help instructions/tutorials for the games (yes, some people make great games but are LOUSY telling people how to play them). There is also the 'in-game' part where the mini-games tie into the MMORPG, including score boards for people who like to compete and of course the Quest/Mission credit in-game you earn by doing many mini-games. Some games like the continuous Players Farm system actually would correspond more directly to in-game assets. --- --- --- SO where do we go from there with the MMORPG ? : 'The Plot' is now Lore/Canon. The City is a Wreck and the Players are now tasked with bringing Rapture back to life. Further lame and illogical excuses can be avoided for the continuing story. New explanations might disclose further events that explain better what happened and why. Explanations directly from Ryan (New Audio Diaries) explaining WHY he had to make certain decisions with factors not previously disclosed -- plans that went wrong, unforeseen circumstances, betrayals by critical people at critical times... Examples: Ryan had to fight fire with fire, as his conventionally 1950s equipped security men could not handle the Splicer's inhuman abilities (it took heavy hardware he equip them with to fight a face on battle, but terrorist hit and run attacks upon civilians are hard to counter). He equipping his organized forces with Plasmids (and ordinary citizens with guns) to counter the enemy, before half the city was killed and the other half starved to death - the disruptions were that severe. Again and again being told there was NO TIME to develop certain things he would rather have used. The Pheromone Control scheme to try to nullify Atlas's Splicers being rushed into use (and needed because his own spliced forces would eventually go down the same uncontrollable path). The Pheromones control effect would NOT be like 'Would You Kindly', with exact orders, but would be a general mood changer -- to make Splicers passive when needed, so that disruptions would stop and Rapture's essentials could be resumed (when Jack was there things were still running and noone but Splicers were in sight - so who do you think was doing all the work??) The long-term plans to use ADAM technology to wipe memories so that problematic people could be sent out of Rapture safely. Vita-Chambers were being developed to handle the addiction without the chronic debilitating side-effects of ADAM 'disease'. A 'cure' would have to be looked for to fix the people already addicted and poisoned by ADAM. ADAM still held alot of potential, but would have to have the insanity/genetic mutilation side effects eliminated (and would be banned/controlled until then). People who he had trusted were spies (or worse) for the enemy and they needed to be contained (all the ones he had 'locked up' are not emphasized all that much -- remember Persephone). Instead a 'trophy' wall a handful were crucified on was created as an easy scene for 'the plot' (but how many people were ever allowed to that place to see if it was supposed to 'serve as a warning' ???) Even the hung people in Apollo Square should have had signs on them ' 10 trips to the surface and 10 possible times to give Rapture away to the KGB or CIA" -- it would have given a much clearer message. Thats assuming 'Gene Traitor' wasn't actually retributions made by Fontaine/Atlas after Ryan was dead at that point in BS1. The game needed to give a simple explanation to those who might not understand that WAR changes things. Real war isnt a computer game that you can turn off and go get something to eat then go watch TV. Most people who play this game hardly know what real war is. Strong Measures not usually considered under normal circumstances become necessary to avoid losing EVERYTHING -- unless you think its better to Surrender and then be at the mercy of those who dont care anything about fairness or even any law. Would not THAT reality have been a significant point to make in the game ??? Perhaps in the MMORPG Player Created Content there would be some people willing to tell the missing parts of the story. --- --- --- "Would you kindly not open until 63° 2° N, 29° 55° W" ???? : And Jack would know that exact position how, sitting in a commercial jet plane seat? On the plane flights Ive been on, they don't announce continually the Longitude and Latitude position. Was one of the things he was taught in his 'accelerated development' and 'conditioning' how to fly a jet airplane, or at least read the instruments to make sure (as he was commanded) that he got to the right place ?? Then arranging the crash landing - rather risky for Fontaine to rely on that - why not just have Jack dropped off by a boat? If he cannot open the box til he knows he's there, then how does he get into the pilots cabin without the gun in the box to see the instruments or work the controls (the instructions for which are ALSO in the closed box ??) Even in the first BioShock the plot details could have been written better (without it costing much at all). --- --- --- Humor (Modern 'Comedy' Style) : Scene - wherever Suchong did his work conditioning Jack ... Suchong: Break that sweet puppy's neck. Little Boy:'' No... please...'' Suchong: Break that puppy's neck — would you kindly... Little Boy: No... no... *sound of violently crunching with splatter* Suchong: !! SHIT !!!!. Little Boy: Yes Papa Suchong ............... - Fontaine had "Lot 192" made up ... What would have happened if Suchong had managed to do to Fontaine what was done to Jack ?? Slip a few twenties to Steinman to inject Fontaine with some 'Lot 111' ... Suddenly "Suchong - Puppetmaster of Rapture".... (That is, if his inability to maintain detachment in his work hadn't gotten him killed). --- --- Pheromone Control for Existing Splicers : Some people may have thought that Ryan would Splice the rest of the people so that her could 'control' them. There's that 'Notice to Report' poster they might think means 'Force them to be in Ryan's Splicer Army'. Arming and organizing them so that they can keep working and keep Rapture going would be more likely. Much better than 'splicing' additional people. Why would Ryan want to make everyone else in HIS city crazy (and eventually debilitated) - that's not conducive to rebuilding/restoring Rapture. Nothing is made clear what these Pheromones (plus their complementary ADAM product components) actually do. Real Pheromones are very simple signals and the effect in this control system may simply be to quiet the 'controlled' Splicers down so they could no longer fight for Atlas. It would NOT be like "WYK" type command control (why would Ryan have to offer a 1000 ADAM Bounty on Jack if it did ???) Once Atlas's terrorist minions are nullified, Ryan's conventional forces (with support of the majority of sane people in Rapture) would quickly defeat Atlas. --- --- Dionysus's 'Famers Market' (BaS strikes again) : Perhaps there could be one there as an artsy-fartsy 'mind joke' -- it rather being a gallery of "Still Lifes" (pictures, sculptures, the new film art, shadows, the 'Menagerie of Smells', etc..) Some smaller 'exclusive' Produce Market establishment selling 'organic food' to the rich/artist/poser/sophisticated crowd (with prices to match) with a food court (remember Sofia Lamb was giving jobs to 'unfortunates', and they cannot eat just theater popcorn from the Triton Theater). We, at least, had some blocked doors in Dionysus which COULD have led to such a place (versus other levels where they should have had alot of blocked doors indicating/hinting at there being more than just the plots contrived maze of connected scenes that you got led thru in the game). --- --- 'Mobiles' (those string hanging thingees) as Art Items : Provide "Kits" to hang your (Players) own selected junk to make it unique (some of these things can scare the hell out of any not-quite-insane Splicer..). An in-game assemblable mechanisms ... Splicers in Rapture have lots of time... (So expect to find many of these about out there) - another semi-random asset to make things 'unique-enough'... A fairly simple mechanism (their graphics programming) which could largely be run IN the Player's GPU (taking any load largely OFF the central Game Servers). Seeing lots of hanging objects like these (hmm you hang stuff up to keep it out of the puddles and damp...) would add a little motion to the static terrain might make the Rapture World more 'alive'. It would also give the Player a more complex visual environment to have to pick out objects (goodies or threats or just amusing 'of interest' things). Some very pretty animated (player created) effects could be made using this mechanism. --- --- --- Would McClendon Vacuum-bots have made Interesting Mobile Turrets ??? : http://bioshock.wikia.com/wiki/File:Blueprint_Vacuum_Bot.jpg Imagine these things armed and patrolling back and forth instead, of always sitting just in one place like the standard turrets. Probably they would have to be a bit bigger, but that's easy-peasy. * Dull robot mind (heh, its equivalent of 90% of the NPC enemies you get in all the games out there). * Limited Ammo capacity ? (dodging/decoying tactics...) * Too easy to knock over ? (make the terrain work for you against the simpleton machine) * Maneuvering on rubble strewn floors difficult for something made to operate on a flat rug ? * Stairs cause problems for them ? (tactics for the player to employ) Something that moves around and might not be expected - requiring the player to be more aware of their environment (all this added difficulty reflected in more meaningful pay-offs -- instead of the same endless "I-shoot-it .. Its-dead .. Loot it" pattern that too many games are limited to) How about a creepy Spider-Bot using some of those surplus Robotic Little Sister legs, instead ??? Creepy sound effect as it crawls towards you (like those things in Return to Castle Wolfenstein - you hear from a distance but don't know where the thing is ... Quite memorable.) --- --- --- Game Consoles - able to Run This Game ?? : A Full (enuf) version, and not just mini-games or a significantly feeble-ized form of the full PC version? Do you chop the heart out of the game just to fit it to the outdated consoles? I guess it depends how soon a game like this MMORPG (or game with features like it) could be ready on the market. What advancements in consoles ... Next Generation Consoles (and likely next gen beyond that) to be out and a sufficient number in use? How how much better will they be than existing the ones?? CPU/Memory/GPU/Disk-space/Network Connector. This game calls for significant improvements to those system resources, and consoles do get stuck for many years at the same capacity. What console limitations would kill/hamstring the game experience ? No additional controller buttons (limiting greater players actions inputs)? Can we employ voice input to get past "menu-pick-itus" (at least for 'speed' interactions like combat) ? "Menu-itus" can ruin a game's flow and the existing/likely game controllers may be just too limited (well into the future). Rendering the Graphics may not be too much the issue, as a median target hardware would be wise for even the PC version. (Getting them all to the client is a separate problem). Disk Space for the caching scheme (which would forced genericising alot of the visual effects to fit disk limitations). Game levels now are limited in the number of different 3D objects, which is a feature this game would WANT to expand. A game subset (like playing as a Splicer who has fewer options/resources/manipulations than a Player) could be done, but would the Console Platform development difficulties Warrant it?? Of course if it was a "good enough" game to stand by itself and resused alot of the work the MMORPG project created it might pay off. But then losing all the rest of the game, many of the advances would be quite bad as it would dilute the player base into those who could appreciate its features and those who could only have the 'lite' version. --- --- --- --- --- . .